Response latency models for signal detection

Describes 2 contrasting models for response latency in the yes-no signal detection situation and outlines their main characteristics. The 1st model is a generalization of the notion that latency in detection is some inverse function of distance from the criterion; the 2nd proposes that instead of a single observation on any 1 trial the S makes multiple observations and a count of these observations determines the response and its latency. Although the predictions of the models are similar in many respects, there are some points concerning the ordering of mean latencies, reaction time receiver operating characteristic curves, latency-probability relations, and the constancy of d' which differentiate them. Particularly important, the multiple observations model predicts that response bias and sensitivity are interdependent. The possibility of multiple observations in detection is briefly considered. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)